


Astrophobia

by tarialdarion



Series: Tumblr Prompts [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, astrophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:12:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7381348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarialdarion/pseuds/tarialdarion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anon: "idk if ur still taking prompts but the second bed sharing bullet is adorable. All i can think about is Tony coming into Steves room shaking and cuddles"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Astrophobia

“Tony?” He called out. The figure said nothing but Steve was certain it was his eccentric roommate. Tony Stark was purported to be a genius but he was also the type of housemate who left clothes, dishes, and random highly flammable bits of machinery everywhere. Steve was an art and history double major whereas Tony was firmly embedded in his obvious love of engineering so Steve rarely saw him outside of a few stolen moments in their apartment and even then, it seemed like Tony was an endangered species.

When the genius had approached him about the second room in the apartment after Bucky had moved out and Steve was starting to get desperate, Steve had said yes, preparing himself for the entourage of women following the trail of money. Instead, he was privy to the hidden moments of Tony’s life: his sleep mussed hair, dramatic ramblings to himself about engineering, the excessive amounts of coffee, and the ridiculously little quantity of time Tony actually slept during the night. All of it together painted an endearing picture that Steve permitted himself to enjoy while staying on the outskirts of Tony’s awareness.

So Steve quietly cleaned up the apartment, lived his life with his friends, and came to the conclusion that even though he and Tony were roommates, they were doomed to live their lives circling each other but never quite meeting long enough to become anything more than casual acquaintances.

Until tonight, when a shivering figure stood in Steve’s doorway for a purpose at which Steve could only guess.

“Tony?” He called again, sitting up further and leaning towards the doorway to get a better view in the dim light emanating from the streetlamp outside his blind-covered window. “Tony, what’s the matter?” Tony shuffled forward awkwardly, not quite meeting Steve’s eyes, a sure sign that something was wrong. A moment of silence passed before he took a deep breath and forced out, “I’m astraphobic.”

Steve stared, caught off guard. “What?”

“I’m astraphobic” Tony said, slightly stronger this time.

“You’re afraid of heights?” Steve said, confused as to why this fear had led Tony to his bedroom in the middle of the night.

“No, dumbass,” Tony hesitated. “It’s thunder and lightning. I don’t like it.” Steve took in Tony’s defensive stance and scooted over, making room on the small bed. He waved a magnanimous hand at the cleared space in invitation and Tony gratefully took advantage, creeping into Steve’s bed timidly like he was afraid Steve was going to retract the offer at any moment. He curled into a ball at the edge of the bed, trembling slightly and Steve’s heart melted at the vulnerable picture he made. Steve lay back down, not quite touching Tony, breathing silently in the still air and listening to the sound of the heavy rain and wind outside.

A crash of thunder shuddered through the room and Tony jolted, his body flailing against Steve’s with a stifled gasp. Steve reacted on instinct, pulling Tony closer to him and running his fingers through the dark, curled hair like his mother used to do to calm him down after a bad dream. After a few moments of comfort, Steve began to talk quietly about his History of Philosophy 102 class and how the professor was certain that Niccolo Machiavelli had shaped the way dictators act since the 14th century.

“That’s ridiculous.” Tony said, suddenly breaking the silence, his voice steady and clear. “Sargon of Akkad’s rule was similar to Machiavelli’s theories but he lived centuries before Machiavelli. Dictators have been ruling under fear since the beginning.”

Steve gaped at the back of Tony’s head. Tony twisted around to try to look at Steve’s face in the dim light. “Um. Steve?”

Steve found his voice. “You…you know history?” Tony snorted.

“Not as much as you do, history nerd, but yeah I dabble.” Amusement colored with fondness was evident in his tone. “They don’t call me a genius for no reason.”

“I can see that from the number of flammable things you leave around the apartment.” Steve muttered.

“Ah, so you’re the cleaning fairy who keeps taking away my projects! I need those for science, Steve. S-C-I-E-N-C-E. Maybe you history nerds haven’t heard of it?” Tony poked at the strong bicep pulled loosely around his chest.

Steve hummed in response. “I have definitely heard of F-I-R-E H-A-Z-A-R-D.”

“Oh look, he’s got jokes.” Tony said, sarcastically and Steve laughed. They bickered good-naturedly most of the night, learning more about each other, and exchanging amusing stories about their lives. When it was finally morning, Tony groaned and told Steve that he had a lab scheduled in an hour and Steve reluctantly mentioned he had a test later.

As he was watching Tony meander across the room and to the doorway, Steve suddenly blurted, “Tony!” Tony stopped and half-turned to give Steve a calculating look. Steve blushed and stuttered out, “I-if, I mean, next time, oh damn it, my room’s always open, okay?” Tony’s mouth quirked up and he gave a short nod, striding out of the room with a more confident air.


End file.
